


Nothing Interesting Ever Happens in Perivale

by Dancingsalome



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2018-09-18 13:38:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9387491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancingsalome/pseuds/Dancingsalome
Summary: A story where Sarah Jane goes to Perivale in the wake ofSurvival, gets an unwelcome guest and has some unscheduled time travels.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There are no real pairings in this fic, but sexuality is acknowledged as is the possibility of past relationships.

Sarah Jane Smith had never heard of a place called Perivale until her editor asked her to go there. It seemed a lot of peculiar events had taken place there, ranging from several disappearances to murder and a string of cat mutilations. She had little luck in finding out more, as most people were reluctant to talk to her as soon as they realised she was a journalist. At long last she managed to interview one of the teenagers who has so mysteriously disappeared and returned, but found him oddly evasive. She knew there was a story worth pursuing here, but had almost resigned to not finding out more when the boy mentioned “the Doctor” and her interest peaked abruptly.

“The Doctor? A tall man with lots of teeth, curly hair and an absurd fashion sense?”

He shook his head. 

“No, not at all. He was short and his teeth and hair looked ordinary. But he did have funny clothes. And he was Scottish.”

It didn’t sound like the Doctor she knew, but it had been years since she last saw him and he may not look like he used to anymore. She had already seen him regenerate once and the whole setup had a strong feel of the Doctor’s handiwork. And now he was gone again. He had been there, but when Sarah Jane finally found a clue to him, he was long gone. She swallowed her disappointment. It was so typical of him, but what was less typical was that the strange events hadn’t stopped after he had left. True, no one else had disappeared or been murdered, but someone, or was it something, still killed pets. It may be completely unconnected, but Sarah Jane didn’t think so.

She thanked her interviewee and took a short walk in the vicinity of a warehouse where the remains of a cat had been found just the day before. It was dingy and deserted and she was tired and a bit upset and soon went back to her car again.

“You smell of the Doctor,” a man said close to her ear.

Before she had time to react, someone slammed into her back, pushing her head first into a wall and held her there. Unrelenting fingers kept her still as her assailant pressed his face into her hair, nuzzled her neck and inhaled deeply. Then without releasing her, he took a step back. 

“Yes, you definitely smell of the Doctor, but only faintly. You must be one of his discarded pets. Still, what an unexpected stroke of fortune for me.”

She was spun around and saw her attacker for the first time. He was a pale, dark-haired man of her own age with a lean bearded face. He was dressed in black clothes which were well cut and probably expensive, but they were also worn and dusty. And though he restrained her without difficulty, she got a strong impression he wasn’t in his full strength. His pale blue eyes burned with fever and there were dark patches underneath them as if he hadn’t slept for a long time. And, Sarah Jane realised, he wasn’t human at all, despite looking the part well enough. She also had an uncomfortable feeling that even if he knew about the Doctor, she didn’t think he was one of his friends. It was always so much more likely to run into someone the Doctor had peeved off.

“My name is Sarah Jane Smith”, she said, remembering a piece of advice someone at UNIT had given her a long time ago; always try to make an opponent see you as a person, not a disposable thing. “Who are you?”

He flashed her a smile which looked distinctly unassuring. “I am the Master. You have probably heard of me.”

She had. There had been files, volumes of files, about the Master at UNIT and she had read them all. He looked different so, she supposed he had regenerated too, but he was probably still as dangerous. Just her luck; when she finally ran into a Time Lord again, it wasn’t just the wrong Time Lord, but a deranged one.

“It’s so nice to know I’m not forgotten. And if you are Miss Smith, then you must be the one the Doctor picked up after the delightful Miss Grant. Which means you are known to UNIT. What an extraordinary piece of luck.”

“You keep tabs on who travels with the Doctor?”

“Of course I do. Knowledge is power, which I believe was just proven. Someone with a connection to UNIT is exactly what I need right now.”

He shifted his grip, so he only held one of her arms. “So, Sarah Jane Smith, it’s late and you should go home. I hope you don’t mind having a guest.”

Sara Jane didn’t protest, she nodded her head toward her car and he allowed her to lead the way back. As they walked she slowly got her free hand into her shoulder bag. She kept a small perfume spray there, just for occasions like this and she quickly pulled it out and aimed at his eyes. The Master howled and let go of her, and Sarah Jane elbowed him hard in the midriff and ran. But she didn’t get far, he snatched a hold of her coat and she stumbled and fell. She tried to roll away, but instead found herself on her back, staring up into the Master’s furious face.

“Do. Not. Ever. Run.” His voice had changed to a low growl and to Sarah Jane’s horror his eyes had changed too, from blue to molten gold. His lips drew back and sharp canines were exposed, teeth which she was sure had looked normal when he had smiled only a few minutes ago.

She froze, she had seen nothing like this before, and she was sure it was not something normal for Time Lords. There were something very wrong with him. For several seconds neither of them moved, then, to her relief, the Master's eyes returned to blue, he relaxed slightly and then he stood up, pulling Sarah Jane up with him.

“I don’t wish to hurt you Miss Smith. At the moment I need you alive, but I am not completely in control of my senses as I think you just noticed.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Something which is destroying me. I had hoped it would disappear when the source which caused it was destroyed, but it only seems to have slowed down somewhat. In short it makes me succumb to life’s basic urges. Like feeding. If you behave like a prey and run from me, I will hunt you. I may not be able to stop myself the next time. So for your own good, don’t provoke me.”

“And it makes you look like a cat?”

“A Cheetah. And believe me, it can get much worse.”

Sarah Jane drove home in silence, thinking frantically of what she could do to get away. She toyed with the idea of crashing the car, but decided against it. It was much more likely she would be badly hurt and not the Master. If K9 had been in full form, she could have relied on his laser. But he had not been his usual self lately and she had turned him off when she left home. For the moment it would be better to play along with the Master and hope an opportunity to escape would present itself.

At home the Master asked for food and Sarah Jane sat at her kitchen table and watched him devour most of the content in the fridge. He seemed starved and despite knowing who he was; she felt something close to pity for him. When he was finished, he looked at her washing machine.

“Am I right in thinking this is device for laundry? Show me how it works.”

Sarah Jane complied and then quickly looked away as the Master removed all his clothes. Mad Time Lord’s was one thing, having them naked was definitely too much. She busied herself with the washing machine, then turned around to met the Master’s amused eyes.

“You are most accommodating, Miss Smith. Can I trouble you with showing me your bathroom, please?”

To her relief she didn’t have to watch him take a bath too. Instead, he rummaged in her drawers until he found her scarves and tied her up in her bed instead. Sarah Jane made good use of his stay in the bathroom in trying to free herself, but only succeeded in making the knots tighter. Eventually he reemerged, only to fall into bed beside her. As far as Sarah Jane could tell, he was practically asleep before he hit the mattress. He didn’t even bother to turn off the light, and she watched him for a while. Sleeping he slipped in and out of his Cheetah form, spot coming and going on his skin. Sometimes he growled and snarled in his sleep, and his elongated teeth would show, or his nails turning into claws. It was disconcerting to say the least, but Sarah Jane was so exhausted by the day she eventually slept too, despite her company.


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah Jane woke up wondering who had let in a cat in her bedroom. Then the ache from her bound hands reminded her of what had happened the night before. The loud purring which had disturbed her sleep came from the Master. And not only that, he had shifted close to her, an arm was flung over her chest and his hand rhythmically pushing into the mattress. His eyes were open, but unfocused and completely yellow, and his forehead was damp from fever. He moved even closer, pressing his body into her side in a decidedly amorous way. Despite that, he didn’t seem fully awake, and Sarah Jane remembered what he had said about succumbing to basic urges. Sex, of course, was one of those. She willed herself to not move a muscle, while her mind was racing. Her natural reaction was to fight him off, but she was still bound to the bed, and if she tried to fight him, she would trigger his hunting instinct instead. The sharp fangs were much too close to her throat, and Sarah Jane would rather not bleed to death in her own bed. She didn’t want to be the unwilling partner of a delirious Time Lord either. And if she couldn’t fight him, she would have to make use of her brain. The Master had controlled himself earlier, so if she could jolt him into consciousness he might be able to temporarily fight of the cheetah virus.

As best as she could Sarah Jane looked the Master straight into his eyes. “Listen. You are the Master, you are a Time Lord and you would never deign to consort with a lowly human. So stop it!”

At her last words Sarah Jane raised her voice, and the Master’s head snapped back as if she had struck him. He hissed at her, his eyes flashed, but to Sarah Jane’s relief they flashed blue, not yellow. Without a word, or another glance he jumped out of the bed and stalked out of the bedroom. For the rest of the night Sarah Jane could hear him moving about in her house, but he didn’t return. She couldn’t sleep more anyway, her bound arms ached more and more, and her nerves felt so tightly wound her body twitched violently at even the slightest sound.

The Master returned at dawn. He was once again dressed and he must have found her iron and sewing kit as his suit now was neatly pressed and mended. He looked perfectly normal; Sarah Jane watched him carefully but there were no traces of the cheetah about him now. He released her and allowed her to use the bathroom, and to change clothes. Sarah Jane briefly considered calling for help from the bathroom window, but the Master would hear her before anyone else, so she refrained. When she was finished, he politely asked her to accompany him to her living room. To her relief he kept a careful distance from her, and she took care to move slowly. As long as he seemed inclined to keep her alive and unharmed, she would not take the risk of triggering him into an attack.

In the living room he gave her the phone. “You will call Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart for me. When you get him on the line, you tell him I want to speak with him.”

It had been years since she had used it, but Sarah Jane still had a direct number to the Brigadier, and he answered at once. She could her him swallow an expletive when she told him about the Master. The Master, on the other hand, sounded excessively charming.

“My dear Brigadier- it is still the Brigadier, is it? How nice to hear your voice again. Now, now, there is no need to be upset. I only require a small service from you, and then I promise to be on my merry way. I know UNIT have a 51st century vortex manipulator in storage. No need to deny it; I’ve seen it myself. And if you don’t want to explain to the Doctor why you couldn’t find all the pieces of the delightful Miss Smith, I suggest you will bring it to her home within an hour. Don’t bluster, you know perfectly well what I’m capable of. And I guess I don’t have to remind you to come alone. You will find the door open.”

“Don’t you have your own TARDIS?” Sarah Jane couldn’t help asking, when he had put the phone down.

“I do, but we had a temporary disagreement about the suitability of a certain planet and she took off. It won’t be difficult to locate her as soon as I have the vortex manipulator.”

He fell into a brooding silence, but when Sarah Jane suggested a cup of tea, he graciously allowed her out in the kitchen and accepted a cup for himself. There wasn’t any breakfast to be had after his forages, but tea, regrettable without milk, did wonders to restore some of Sarah Jane’s composure. The tea must have rendered the Master more companionable because he suddenly surprised her with a question.

“Why do you keep a robot dog in your cleaning cupboard?”

“He is just my dog. I turn him off when I leave home because he isn’t functioning properly. But he is quite fun- you should have turned him on.”

“I see. The laser beam in his nose is still fully functional, I gather.”

“Oh yes, it works perfectly,” Sarah Jane said brightly, and the Master snorted and relapsed into silence.

Soon after Sarah Jane could hear a car park outside the house, and a moment after the door opened. The Master was suddenly at her side, pulling her close to him with one arm. The Brigadier was a little greyer and stouter than when Sarah Jane had seen him last, but his brown eyes were still alert. He gave her a look of concern before focusing on the Master. Sarah Jane tensed when the Master’s free hand torched her throat, and she could feel his nail had changed into claws again. The Brigadier's eyes widened.

“Miss Smith, are you hurt?”

The Master spoke before she could answer. “So far she is unharmed. Did you bring it?”

“I have it. If you release Miss Smith, I will give it to you.”

“Unfortunately, I still need Miss Smith. You will just have to take my word I won’t hurt her.”

The Brigadier hesitated, but when one of the Master’s claws casually stroke Sarah Jane’s neck, causing a small trickle of blood, he reluctantly put the small machine in Sarah Jane’s hand.

“Very good. Miss Smith, take the vortex manipulator and fasten it around my wrist. Like that, yes.”

Her hands shook a little as she fastened the strap. The Master gave her a string of numbers to punch in, and then his arm tightened around her as the world swirled. Sarah Jane involuntary closed her eyes, and when the world righted itself under her feet, she found herself in a new, but still very familiar place.


	3. Chapter 3

When Sarah Jane’s head stopped spinning, she found they had materialised in a small room. A familiar small room. There were shelves containing stationery supplies, and in a corner stood an ancient photocopier which Sarah Jane had wrangled with on numerous occasions. They were standing in the stationary cupboard next to the doctor’s laboratory at UNIT.

“Why in here”, she asked the Master over her shoulder.

“You didn't think I ever strolled in by the front gate?”

Sarah Jane gently entangled herself from the Master’s arm, and peeked out, but retreated a little when a door opened and a strangely familiar voice called out.

“Bye Doctor! See you tomorrow.”

And then she heard brisk steps and caught a glimpse of her younger self walking past. So they were not only at UNIT then, but to UNIT several years ago. With the Master at her heels, Sarah Jane slipped out into the corridor and opened the door to the laboratory. The Doctor standing with her back to her was her first Doctor. Something twisted oddly inside Sarah Jane as she looked at the familiar white shock of hair, and the green velvet jacket he had liked so much.

“Forgot something?” the Doctor said before he turned around, but when he saw her he raised an eyebrow. “And why are you suddenly older?”

With a lump in her throat Sarah tried to step forward, but the Master, whom she had temporarily forgotten, was suddenly between them, growling deep in his chest at the Doctor. He had seemed comparatively sane all morning, but now he looked worse than Sarah Jane had seen him before. Not only were the eyes yellow, his fangs showing, the spots were back on his skin, and there was also a district change of the shape of his face and nose.

“Behave yourself!” Sarah Jane said sharply in the same tone which had worked before. “This was your idea, remember.”

To her relief, it worked this time too. The Master hissed, but retreated and started to prowl the room along the walls, growling, or perhaps muttering, under his breath.

“That’s the Master”, the Doctor said in a way which suggested Sarah Jane may not have noticed. “In not only one new body, but _two_?”

Sarah Jane glanced at the Master and after judging him currently incapable to account for himself, launched into an explanation. It struck her, as she was speaking, that this must be why the Master had dragged her along. The presence of the Doctor seemed to affect him far more than her own company. The Doctor listened with knitted brows and nodded at the end.

“So he needs my help to find a cure. I guess. He hasn’t hurt you?”

Sarah Jane thought it over. Last night had been frightening and uncomfortable, but the Master had, after his own fashion, at least tried to not harm her. 

“No, she said eventually. Not really.”

“All right then. I’m sure he doesn’t deserve it, but I’ll try. I assume the symptoms fluctuate as he has communicated with you?”

Sarah Jane nodded. “If he calms down more, he’ll be able to speak for himself. Perhaps food will help. He was starving when he found me but he seemed to feel much better after he had eaten.”

“And what does he want?”

“Raw meat, I think.”

This caught the interest of the Master who drew nearer and added in an almost normal voice.

“Not cat, please.”

The Doctor shuddered and went to order a large quantity of raw beef. He looked at Sarah Jane who had sat down, feeling a little dizzy, and added tea, sandwiches, and cake. He ended the conversation by saying he was in the middle of a very important and fragile experiment and was not to be disturbed under any circumstances, even if it took days.

Sarah Jane stared at him. She suddenly remembered a period when the Doctor had shut himself up for almost a week, and Sarah Jane had been drafted by the Brigadier to double-check and file rapports. It had been tedious and not made better by the increasingly pointed remarks from the Brig of how useful it would be to have a scientific advisor who one could actually go to for advice. And what was it with all that raw meat? Sarah Jane had never got an explanation; the Doctor had only looked at her blankly and mumbled something about important research. Now, decades later, Sarah Jane finally knew what had happened.

As Sarah Jane had suspected, the worst cheetah-symptoms retreated as the Master ate. By the time he had devoured the meat and started with the tea and sandwiches Sarah Jane had left, the Master was able to have a semi-polite conversation with the Doctor. Sarah Jane relaxed and realised how exhausted she felt, and the Doctor looked her over.

“Sara, my dear, why don’t you have a rest in the TARDIS for a while?”

“Are you sure?”

“I assure you I can handle whatever comes up.”

With some reluctance, but mostly relief, Sarah Jane left. The last thing she heard was the Doctor saying to the Master;

“I think we should start with stabilising those mood swings of yours.”

Sarah Jane found her old room, which at this point was new, and fell into the bed. Several hours later she woke up feeling almost normal again, and after a bath and a raid into the TARDIS wardrobe for a change of clothes, she felt almost restored. Curious about how the Doctor and the Master got along she returned to the laboratory. When she opened the door out of the TARDIS she heard the Doctor singing his favourite Venusian lullaby, and there was also a strange rumbling sound rising and falling in harmony with the song. When Sarah Jane peeked out into the laboratory, she saw the Doctor carefully measuring a liquid into a glass beaker, with the Master draped over one shoulder. The Master’s eyes were half-closed, and Sarah Jane realised the sound she heard was the Master purring. It was an oddly intimate scene, and she retreated in silence before the two Time Lords noticed her. She went to see what the TARDIS could offer in ways of a snack before returning. This time she opened the door audibly, and this time she found the Doctor and the Master on opposite sides of the worktable.

In the days which followed Sarah Jane fell into a routine of dividing her time in the laboratory, helping when she could, and enjoying time with the TARDIS when the bickering between the Doctor and the Master became too trying. She didn’t half understood what the Doctor was doing, but on the sixth day he produced a faintly blue liquid and pronounced it the cure. The Master looked dubious but dutifully drank it, even if he complained over the taste.

“Well, did it work?” the Doctor asked after a few minutes.

In answer, the Master slung an arm around the Doctor and gave him an intense kiss. The Doctor detached himself from the embrace, a little red in the face, but not overly upset.

“Now, now,” he said, and the Master grinned, his features blessedly free of fangs and yellow eyes.

“It seems to have worked”, Sarah Jane remarked in a dry voice, and the Master included her in his grin.

“I can kiss you too,” he offered. “To double check.”

Sarah Jane took a step back. “That’s not necessary.”

He gave her an unrepentant shrug.

“Your loss,” he said and turned to the Doctor instead. “Well, thank you and all that, and I really must be going.”

“You really should,“ the Doctor agreed. “And I’m not saying behave yourself now, because I know you won’t.”

“How well you know me.” The Master stretched out his hand to Sarah Jane. “Ready to leave?”

This time it was the Doctor who stepped in between them. “I will take Sarah home. I don’t trust you.”

The Master shrugged. “As you wish, though I’m a little put out you don’t think I’m capable to show gratitude.”

He gave Sarah Jane a little bow. “Miss Smith, it has been a true pleasure. As human goes you are almost tolerable. I trust we will not meet again.”

And then the Master was gone, and with him a tension Sarah Jane had become so used to, its absence felt almost physical.

“He seemed rather taken in by you,” the Doctor remarked. “I think it’s quite possible he actually would have taken you home.”

“Well, I’m glad I didn’t have to take it to the test.”

The Doctor smiled and opened the door to the TARDIS with a flourish bow.

“Your carriage awaits you. Where do you want to go?”

“Not Aberdeen,” Sarah Jane couldn’t help saying.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Please take me home. Not too long after I left, if it’s possible, for the Brigadier’s sake.”

The Doctor gave the TARDIS the right coordinates, then said with an unusual hesitation;

“I’m sorry for whatever it was I will do to you which hurt you.”

Sarah Jane tried to answer in a light tone and failed miserably. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Yes, you do. I’ve seen it in your eyes from time to time. Whatever it is my future self will do, I hope he had a good reason.”

“I don’t really know. And it It won’t be you, anyway, Doctor. Not you, you.”

“I’m still sorry.”

They stared at each other a little awkwardly, the Sarah Jane changed the subject.

“Why did you help the Master? I don't think this version of him was nicer than the old one.”

“Probably not. But I imagine he would have become even more dangerous with the cheetah virus infecting him than without. He is not exactly easy to handle as it is.”

“But won’t it be awkward knowing all this about him?”

“Oh, I won’t remember it. As soon as I have dropped you off and the timelines sort themselves out, I will forget all about it. About meeting you too, I’m afraid.”

“But I will remember?”

“Yes. For you, this is in the past.”

They stepped out of the TARDIS into her small garden. Sarah Jane hugged the Doctor, trying hard not to cry.

“I’m still happy to have seen you again.”

Sarah Jane walked towards her house when she heard the TARDIS leaving. She turned to watch it disappear, watching the spot where it had stood until she heard her door opening, and she turned to greet the Brigadier.


End file.
